Guardian
by YokoKitsune13
Summary: It's been two weeks, two weeks since he's been waking up with these scars, two weeks of confusion and horrible dreams he couldn't remember. Dean brushed it off, not wanting Sam to worry. But. It was impossible to ignore a dead angel on your bedroom floor.
1. Chapter 1

Dean woke up to the familiar sensation of his skin burning. There was no smoke, of course not because it wasn't a flame that was burning him. It was the sensation of fresh wounds being irritated by air, the annoying stinging creeping along his arms were from three new cuts going in different directions on his skin.

With a grunt he got up and shuffled towards the mirror, lifting his shirt to find three more cuts, deeper than the ones on his arms, scattered along his stomach. There was a sizable rip in his shirt which he hadn't noticed before.

Sighing he scratched his head, turning away from his reflection. This level of confusion so early in the morning was giving him a headache. _'Why the hell does this keep happening?!'_

The first time, he had associated it with the bad dreams he was having recently which probably caused him to lash out in his sleep a considerable amount. However, as it continued and the cuts became deeper, this theory became almost ridiculous. First off, how on earth did he hurt himself that badly, what could he possibly be doing in his sleep to have cuts in such out of the way places and if it wasn't him, then how in the hell did he not _feel_ someone carving him like a turkey?!

Dean grumbled as he made his way down the stairs, these and many other possible theories that were equally ridiculous going through his head. He instinctively headed to the library area of the house. No, it was not really much of a house, more so an underground mansion of sorts which had belonged to their slightly eccentric grandfather. He had a hobby of collecting strange, rare items and books that he hoarded in this collection. He had always said he wanted this to be the greatest collection of lore in the world. It probably was.

Sam was sitting at one of the many large tables in the reading area, a book with strange creatures decorating the pages and chicken scratch that Dean was sure was another language. He had a steaming hot cup of coffee sitting next to it that he occasionally took tentative sips of.

Dean plopped down in the chair across from his brother and sighed loudly causing Sam to glance up from the book and take another sip of his coffee "Rough night?"

Dean grunted "Considering that my skin looks like Scissorhands and I got in a bar fight? No not at all"

"More mysterious bruises?"

"How the hell is this even happening?" Dean flung his hands in the air and Sam leaned back in his chair "Maybe you should see someone...about the dreams since you won't talk to me about them"

"You really think I'm gonna talk to some random stranger about dreams that I won't even tell you about? Maybe you should go see someone" He grunted crossing his arms on the tabletop and resting his chin on them.

"You've got a point there...but the problem still remains"

"I'm just flailing in my sleep, it'll be over soon"

"Dean-"

"I need coffee, I'm gonna get coffee"

Sam rolled his eyes running a hand over his face "Well alright fine-"

"Good"

Dean could be infuriating sometimes. Most times. All the time. But. Sam was actually worried about him and that bad habit of labeling things that related to himself as unimportant. He just wished Dean would tell him what his nightmares were about, what could be so horrifying that he'd do that to himself in his sleep. Whatever it was, Sam had a really bad feeling about it.

Sam woke up to the sound of Dean shouting his name and for a brief moment the thoughts of the previous day, of this whole thing being a giant bombshell waiting to explode returned and he ran faster. He had to grab the edge of the door frame to stop himself from speeding past the room or running right into the post itself.

Dean was standing at the side of the bed at the far side of the room his eyes bugged as he looked at something Sam couldn't see because the bed was blocking his view. When there was no movement or further speech for a couple seconds Sam glanced around the room. There was a golden dagger plunged into the wall next to the door and he noticed Dean was holding his side and he could see a bit of red starting to seep through the light colored material of his shirt.

Dean looked up slowly, eyes still huge, his mouth seemed to be trying to form words

"Dean, what is it?" Sam started and Dean began to lift his hand to point at whatever it was he was looking at, closing his mouth so tight it made a thin line. There was no point in trying to use words.

Sam made another step towards the bed and the mystery object started to come into view. Sam blinked when he made out the tip of a black shoe. That shoe was connected to a foot, clad in black dress pants. _'Oh dear god don't let that be what I think it is...'_

Despite every instinct telling him to turn around and walk out of the room, he ignored it, closing his eyes, taking a deep breath through his nose and continued his slow progression towards Dean as more of the scene unfolded. The legs were indeed connected to a body, a body that looked very much like it was _dead_.

"Oh god...what-" His mind went completely blank when he saw what was behind Dean and under the bed. Two very very large black _wings_ spread out across the floor. How he missed that, he'd have to ask later.

"Dean...why-"

Dean started to shake his head and Sam continued "Dean why the hell-!"

Dean now moved away from the body and started to pace back and forth still shaking his head, one hand covering his mouth. "Dean-!"

"-What the hell is happening?!"


	2. Chapter 2

Dean took another sip of his coffee at the same time that Sam did. There was silence in the room, only broken by their sipping and the sound of the cups making contact with the wooden surface of the table.

Not a word had passed between them for a couple hours since the incident this morning and neither really wanted to bring it up. Dean was hoping they could simply pretend it never happened. Maybe it was something in their tea, or maybe those takeout burritos were bad like Sam had suggested. They did taste kinda funny.

After all, food poisoning or some other hallucinogen was the only explanation he would let himself believe for the dead man with large black wings laying on his bedroom floor.

"Maybe...it was an angel?"

I'm sorry. Dead angel laying on his floor. "...What?"

Dean looked up a bit confused. He honestly wasn't sure if it was Sam who had spoken or if he was hearing things now. He must have been hearing things. Sam of all people, the one who was so logical about everything would never have made such an assumption. Next thing he'll be saying is that he believes in faeries.

"I mean...I did read about them in one of Henry's books. Did you know that some angels have different colored wings? Based off rank or something like that, but I never thought they'd actually show themselves-"

"I'm sorry but am I hearing right or is that failing me too? You're saying that there's an angel lying upstairs on my bedroom floor because you _read it in the old man's books?!_ Are you forgetting he was kinda nuts?"

"He wasn't that crazy Dean" Sam actually liked their grandfather, Henry Winchester. He had always told fascinating stories and had so many strange theories that he had loved to listen to as a child. Dean liked him too when he wasn't spouting nonsense about whatever the hell a Wendigo was.

"Just...think about it. The golden blade, the _wings_. I mean all he needs is a halo and we're golden"

"No...no we are not _golden_. Pretending that I believe what you're saying, that means angels are trying to _kill_ me! Freakin angels man!"

"...Right. I forgot about that."

There was silence between them again and Sam took another sip of his coffee the same time Dean picked up his cup with the same idea. "So...uh how's the hip?"

Dean groaned "It stopped bleeding, still hurts like a bitch-" He was interrupted by a loud bang coming from upstairs. In an instant, they shared a look and the same thought crossed their minds. In a couple more seconds they were sprinting towards the stairs.

Dean reached the door first, Sam was right behind him as he stopped suddenly almost causing the taller Winchester to crash into him "Dean what -!"

Dean stared into the room, not daring to move or even breath. At least it didn't feel like he was breathing. He probably wasn't, how could anyone concern themselves with breathing when they were being pierced by the bluest eyes he'd ever seen in his life. He felt so exposed in that instant like those eyes were staring into his soul.

"...Dean..." His voice was so deep, gruff. Dean felt it to his bones. "You are...alright...-"

The stranger was standing, halfway between the door and where he had been lying earlier. He looked like he was struggling to keep himself upright, much less walk any further.

Dean moved before he even remembered giving his body the order, he was pretty sure he hadn't even thought about the action, but he moved anyway, catching the man as he fell forward. For an instant, his skin brushed against Dean's cheek and he felt his entire body catch fire. Metaphorically of course.

He held the...person; he wasn't keen on saying angel quite yet, in his arms. His eyes were closed and it was a wonder he wasn't heavier considering the size of the wings on his back as Dean lifted him and put him on his bed. He stood there, staring at the stranger's face for what felt like eons before Sam cleared his throat. Dean had forgotten his brother had been standing at the door. "So...I suppose he wasn't trying to kill you then?"

Dean glanced at Sam, then back down at the man. "No...I guess not"

Sam left the room a few minutes later, he should have had classes today but decided to skip due to the unforeseen circumstances he was currently presented with. He didn't want to come home to an angel strangling his brother or the other way around, even though he was pretty sure it would most likely be the latter.

Dean stayed by his bed, staring at the man with a strange fascination. He found familiarity in those eyes and it bothered him because he couldn't place _where._ It was strange because he had never really been fascinated with anything or _anyone_ in such a way before, other than his cars. Then again, this wasn't an ordinary 'anyone' by any means.

Dean stared at the outstretched wings, trying to resist the intense urge to touch the dark feathers. He was trying, he really was, but apparently, his hand didn't get the memo. Before he could stop himself his fingers were running idly over the soft feathers. God that felt good.

The man stirred, letting out a deep groan and the wing Dean was petting twitched ever so lightly. Okay so maybe that felt a little too good.

Suddenly, he felt cold and something like a memory flashed across his mind's eye. He couldn't make out anything, it was too dark, too distorted, but he remembered that feeling, being this cold. Dean blinked and the memory was gone. He retracted his arm so quickly, he didn't even see where he put it, and those deep soul searching eyes opened once more and graced him with their...grace. Yeah, that.

He felt his throat clam up but decided that he wasn't gonna let this mystery man angel person lose consciousness again before he actually got to speak to him. He had questions god damn it.

"H-hey...uh how...how are you feeling?" Okay, so that was a typical question. Definitely not the one he wanted to ask. The one he _wanted_ to ask was more along the lines of _'What the heck were you doing, being half-dead on my floor and what in god's name are you?!'_

Yeah. He was keeping it chill.

For a moment the stranger's eyes shifted from Dean's to the ceiling. He made a pained expression and closed them. "I can't believe... I'm still alive..."

Dean chuckled nervously, wondering why he found that to be his only response "Well, if it's any consolation, neither can I"

Blue eyes opened and regarded him with slight confusion. Dean scratched the back of his neck and laughed nervously looking away. Suddenly a thought came to him "So, uh, how did you know my name?"

That earned him a smile from the man "I've known your name for...a very long time"

Dean's eyes widened in surprise and his lips flattened to a thin line "...Oh"  
Dean looked down briefly trying to process what was said in a way that made it sound slightly less creepy.

"Okay...then, what's your name? You do have a name right?"

The man turned, the smile brightening his pale face and Dean felt as though his heart had stopped beating. "My name is Castiel, I am an angel of the Lor-"

Castiel's face fell suddenly and he looked away, staring back at the ceiling and let out a sigh. Dean felt something stab at his chest, a little pinprick of hurt and a feeling of loss washed over his soul. He had an overwhelming urge to get that smile back on Castiel's face.

"Castiel huh? I can't believe Sam was right about the angel thing" It was the only thing he could think of to say. Sue him.

There was no response for a few long seconds so Dean looked up and saw that Castiel's eyes were closed again. He felt a panic like nothing he's ever felt before wash over him in that instant "Castiel?"

Still no response, he got up and grabbed Castiel's shoulder, shaking it slightly "...Cas!"

The angel's eyes fluttered for a bit, before closing again and he responded in a croaky voice "I'm...sorry Dean. I just need...to rest a bit"

Dean let out an exaggerated sigh and flopped back in the chair with relief "Ah...okay, no problem"

Dean left the angel to sleep and went into the 'war room' as his grandfather had so called it. He claimed it was the perfect place for planning strategy and attack should there ever come a time when supernatural creatures so desired to take over the world. The table even came equipped with a map of the world and a built-in computer that was supposed to light up if any 'supernatural forces' were to appear. Dean had to admit, it looked pretty cool.

He sat at the table in question and traced his fingers over a random island in the Pacific ocean as his thoughts wondered. Something about Castiel made him feel _uneasy_. It wasn't ordinary uneasiness though, strangely enough, he welcomed it because it felt like things could start to make _sense_ now. Don't worry, he didn't understand it either.

The door to the bunker opened with a clang like it usually did and Sam came clomping down the stairs with bags of groceries. Oh dear god no.

Dean eyed the bags suspiciously, the last time he let Sam do the shopping they were eating salads and strange vegetarian food until Dean was sure he was gonna start sprouting mushrooms out of his ears.

His fears were confirmed when he saw one bag whose contents were solely on the green side of the color spectrum. Great. Just great. I bet there isn't even any pie in those bags.

"Hey Dean, how's the angel?"

Dean scrunched up his nose as Sam lay the bags of veggies next to him on the table and subtly pushed them away as Sam sat down next to him "He's uh...he's asleep. I think"

"You think? You sure he's not dead again?"

"Yeah no, he said he needed to rest"

"Oh okay. So..." Sam paused and stared at his brother who was still eyeing the bags

"Is there any pie in there?" Sam looked over at the bags and made a face.

"Uh...no, I forgot"

"Of course you did" Dean rolled his eyes and leaned back in the chair, flicking one of the red markers on the table across the room with his finger.

"So" Sam continued. "What are we gonna do about the angel?"

"His name is Castiel"

"Oh, okay, Castiel right..."

Sam's eyes suddenly widened and he got up so fast that Dean nearly fell out of his chair "Sam?!"

"Hold on!" Sam ran into the library and Dean heard the sound of books falling and being tossed around before Sam returned with a huge black book, intricate silver patterns decorating the cover and spine. The title was in a language Dean was sure wasn't supposed to exist.

Sam began pointing to a page frantically as he plopped down in his previous seat and slid the book over to Dean. "I knew that name sounded familiar! Castiel or Cassiel I guess, the angel of Thursday, the angel of temperance or serenity..."

Dean furrowed his eyebrows at the picture on the page depicting an angel shrouded in golden light and flowy robes. He was pretty sure it was way over the top and not at all what Castiel actually looked like.

"...According to this, his name is supposed to mean 'Fallen from God', he's also the angel of tears and presides over the death of kings"

Sam stared at the page in silence for a while and a sentence caught his eye. "Woah. Look at this"

He pointed to the sentence "The angel who fell in love with the 'Righteous Man'? What do you think that means?"

"I have no idea, but enough with the theocracy lesson"

"But Dean, maybe this can help you figure out why he's here, maybe-"

"Or, I could just ask him? Yeah, I'm just gonna ask him"

Sam looked at him confused "and, you think he's just going to tell you?"

Dean looked at him equally confused "Why wouldn't he?"

"I don't know, it's just. You seem to trust him an awful lot for someone... _something_ you just met. Something you didn't even believe in a few hours ago."

There was silence between them for a few moments before Dean sighed. "That's the thing Sammy, I don't understand _why_ , but I trust him, I honest to god trust him right off the bat like I've known him all my life and it freaks me out!"

"Okay calm down," Sam thought for a bit "Do you know why it feels like that?"

"No, I-" Dean was silent for a minute. A memory flashed in his mind again, similar to the one from earlier, dark, vague and cold "-I don't know, it feels like I've...seen him before, like in...in my dream..."

Dean looked up at Sam, eyes wide. Sam had a controlled expression on his face as he thought about what Dean said "But that's...that's impossible right? How could I be dreaming...scratch that, having nightmares about some angel I never met?!"

"What were your dreams about?"

Damn it. He didn't want Sam to ask that question. He had been avoiding that question ever since the dreams started. He didn't want Sam to know that the dreams terrified him, even though he could hardly _remember_ any of it.

"Just...I don't know, they're dark"

"And?"

"And what? It's dark, I can't really make out anything, all I can do is...feel"

"What do you feel?" darn it, Sam was in full psychologist mode. There was no backing out now.

"Cold. It's cold" Dean closed his eyes, trying to focus on the vague memories he had of his dreams.

"Then the pain, the pain starts and the...the screaming and I can't...it's not me screaming but I can feel it...like it is me and-"

Dean opened his eyes suddenly and ran his palms through his hair, he was sweating and finding it hard to breathe.

"Dean?" Sam called tentatively. His brother got up and paced a few times before stopping.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore. It's too...confusing"

"Yeah, okay."

Dean nodded and headed for the stairs that led down to the rooms. "Hey, Dean?" Sam called out to him as he reached the door. Dean stopped but didn't turn around "You know you can always talk to me right?"

The older Winchester stayed silent for a few long moments before turning and giving Sam a playful scowl "No chick flick moments, dude"

Sam scoffed "Whatever. Jerk"

"Bitch"


	3. Chapter 3

The house was even more quiet than usual. The only sound that Sam could hear was his own footsteps on the stone floor, every step echoed off the empty walls and bounced back to him and it was driving him crazy.

There was absolutely nothing to do. He had finished his assignments and read up on a few chapters that hadn't been taught yet, gone through most of the books in the library, made himself tea about a hundred times until he felt like a water balloon, he had even gone for a run. Twice.

Usually he would go hang out with Dean in the 'Dean Cave' or whatever his brother wanted to call that one room he turned into a man cave, but if he had to binge watch another rerun of the Twilight Zone, Star Trek or the X-Files, he would probably put a bullet in his head. Sam loved those marathons as much as anyone else, but 50 times in a row...is a bit too much.

Sam needed to get out of the house, it was late, but he _needed_ to. His phone buzzed in his pocket and he fished it out, letting out a sigh of relief and thanking whatever god was watching over him.

 _"Hey bitch, up for a GoT marathon? I got the dip if ya got the chip!"_

Thank god for Charlie he thought as he typed _"Of course, be there in 10 with a bottle of pop"_

 _"As long as you don't bring a salad"_

Sam chuckled and stashed the phone in his pocket, heading towards Dean's man cave. He was going to ask Dean to borrow the car because if he just took it he was sure his brother would send a hit out for him, but Dean wasn't there. Okay, so next guess is his room.

Sam knocked and opened the door after getting no response. "Hey, I need the car for a-"

Dean was asleep, his head resting on his arms that were folded over his bed. The angel; Castiel, was sitting up, leaning against the headboard. One of his wings hung off on Dean's side and the other stretched across and took up the entire opposite side of the bed. Castiel's eyes were transfixed on Dean's face and his fingers idly stroked the honey almond colored hair near Dean's ear.

Sam stood awkwardly at the door momentarily forgetting what he had come into the room for in the first place. Ever since Castiel had arrived, this was the first time he was actually face to face with the angel, without Dean consciously present. He had never actually spoken to him before.

"Uh...I didn't know he was asleep, I'll just -"

"It's alright Sam, you can come in" Castiel looked up, his eyes were soft as he regarded Sam which eliminated some of the brunet's nervousness. He scratched the back of his head and turned to fully face Castiel "I'm sorry, it's just...kinda strange, y'know"

Sam looked at Dean as he said this, the latter was sleeping soundly for what was probably the first time in weeks. Castiel tilted his head in slight confusion.

"I just, have a lot of questions..."

"You can ask me anything, Sam. I am incapable of lying."

Sam moved slowly to sit at the foot of the bed, careful not to shake it too much so that Dean wouldn't wake up.

"He's been waking up with these...horrible cuts every morning. We couldn't figure out what it was and he wouldn't tell me about the dreams he was having...until you showed up."

Sam looked down at the cream bedsheets, he didn't want to accuse the angel but he really needed to know "Were you the one leaving them?"

Castiel stared at Sam with a serious expression "No" his eyes lowered to Dean and Sam saw nothing but honesty and adoration in them "I could never hurt your brother Sam. Never"

Sam sighed in relief. "Then, do you know why it's happening?"

Castiel thought for a moment "I don't...well, the one on his hip, that was my fault. An angel followed me when I ran, we got into a fight and..." he went silent. He didn't like talking about what he had to do in order to escape. It was a very sore topic.

"Why did you come here? Why here, of all the places you could run to, you came to this house, to his room..."

Castiel looked down "I...I don't know. I just wanted to escape, I needed to escape, to get away from there. Before I knew it, I opened my eyes and I was here. I didn't choose to...but I wouldn't want to be anywhere else."

Sam sighed and got up. Castiel's gaze was focused on the wall behind Sam and didn't leave it for a few long moments. For a while they stay like that, frozen in silence, the only sound was Dean's soft breathing. Sam looked at Castiel and he knew the angel wasn't lying. Everything would be fine.

"Alright. Dean trusts you, I've never seen him trust someone so fast, but he does. So I trust you too. Just know that if you are lying, if you do hurt him, angel or not you'll have to deal with me."

Castiel nodded slowly. He didn't really feel phased by the threat because he knew that he would never and could never hurt Dean. "I'll take that into account"

"Good" Sam nodded, grabbing the car keys off the table and leaving the room.

Dean woke up to an ache in his neck and back. What did he expect really, if he slept hunched over his bed for half the day and a night?

Thankfully though, there was no stinging sensation and no new cuts anywhere on him for the first time in weeks.

As he tried to sit up, he felt a weight on his back and looked over to find a mass of black feathers resting there. That's right, Castiel was still here and apparently Dean had been using his wing as a blanket. A very soft, comfy blanket.

Dean slowly slid from under the wing, careful not to wake Castiel and stretched, moving towards the door and the smell of fresh bacon and pancakes. He tried to work out the kinks in his neck but when there was a loud crack, causing him to cry out in pain, he decided against it.

Sam looked up surprised as Dean entered the library "What the hell was that?"

"A bad idea"

Sam only shook his head and got up heading towards the kitchen "You want some breakfast?"

"Yeah, thanks," Dean said absently. He grabbed Sam's laptop as soon as the other man disappeared inside the kitchen.

Sam came back out with a plate and a cup of coffee when he spotted what Dean had. "Hey, What did I tell you about touching my computer?"

"Relax, I'm just browsing..." Dean mumbled, eyes fixated on something on the screen

"Just browsing my ass"

"Woah, Sammy, no thank you"

"Dean-!" Sam pushed the food unto the table and made a beeline for his brother. Dean grabbed the laptop and stood trying to keep it away from Sam. He had to keep at least a couple steps ahead of him so that Sam couldn't grab it out of his hands.

"Dean come on! Stop being a kid and give it back!"

"Pssh, make me"

Sam manage to grab unto Dean's shoulder and had him in a headlock, almost getting it out of Dean's hands when they heard shuffling coming up the stairs.

They both stopped and turned simultaneously to see Castiel limping up the few steps and slowly making his way through the small sitting area. His eyes glanced at everything around him with slight fascination - it was the first time he had seen so many books up close - before he noticed the two pair of eyes staring back at him.

"Hello..." he said in his deep gravelly voice. Dean blinked. Sam took the opportunity to rescue his laptop from Dean's grasp and gently put it down on the table before responding "Hey uh...are you sure you should be up and about?"

Castiel limped forward so he was now in the library and leaned on one of the nearby walls "Yes I'm...I'm getting better. I just needed to get out of bed..." He glanced over at Dean briefly but Sam didn't miss when their eyes locked for a split second and Castiel looked away.

Sam nodded in understanding and laughed softly as he turned to the kitchen again "Okay well, you want anything to eat?"

The question came out before he could stop it. It was just a natural question to ask. Then again, Castiel was not the most 'natural' thing in the bunker at the moment. How was he supposed to know if he ate or not?

"No, I don't need to eat" well that answered that question. At least he didn't have to go find some strange item for the angel to eat. "Thank you for your concern though, I appreciate it"

Sam simply smiled at the angel, sending a warning glance at Dean who still hadn't said a word since Castiel entered the room "Stay off my computer"

Dean rolled his eyes _. 'Bossy'_

Sam had left for an evening class, taking the Impala. It's not like Dean had anywhere to go anyway, but he had still suggested that maybe Sam could take one of the old cars he had fixed up in their very, very large garage area, maybe test it out for him. Sam had completely ignored his suggestion.

Castiel wondered around the library, fascinated by the vast collection of books on all sorts of topics. He hadn't really had the luxury of learning about earth while in heaven, he hadn't had the luxury of many things that interested him while there. His focus always had to be on his missions, his duty. A lot of good that did him.

Castiel sighed and ran his finger along the spine of a dark blue book. Dean felt another pang in his chest and looked up from the blueprints for a Continental Mark V engine he was working on. Castiel straightened himself and continued browsing as Dean's eyes followed him.

"So Cas, you gonna tell me what happened to you?"

Castiel turned to him slowly, his eyes clouded before he looked up into Dean's. He was met by the pure, intense concern masked by curiosity in his green eyes and he looked away. He had to look away. The thought of what he had done was too much, he had wished Dean had never asked, he didn't want Dean to know...to think less of him.

However, it _was_ Dean. He knew he needed to tell him, even a little of what had happened. He deserved to know. "I was disobedient. When I tried to escape they followed and tried to kill me as punishment. I...I've been cast out, I have fallen"

Dean stared at the angel's back, his wings twitched ever so slightly, it was almost unnoticeable. Dean figured it was discomfort or anxiousness, but he needed to know. What could have been so horrible, it couldn't just be disobedience that warranted what Dean had seen that morning.

"What did you do?"

Castiel's head lowered "I...made a mistake"

His wings twitched again, more visibly this time as he turned towards Dean. His eyes shone with realization and awe "No...no that's not true. It was not a mistake. I do not believe that it was and I'll never regret it"

Castiel sighed "If only I could have convinced my brothers of that"

Dean blinked in surprise as those words processed "Wait...you're telling me that your _brothers_ did this?"

Castiel sighed again "Yes...they had to, the archangel's, oldest of all my brothers and sisters are the only ones allowed to pass judgment and keep order and peace in father's absence"

"Father? You mean god?"

"Actually he's particular to the name Chuck"

Dean blinked again "Oh..." The momentary confusion passed and gave way to anger "Well where the hell was 'Chuck' when they were doing this to you? You are his kid, aren't you? How could he stand by and let that happen?"

Castiel flinched a bit at the unexpected anger in Dean's voice. He tried to move towards the table, towards Dean "Father was...not present, even if he was it is not...that simple..." He felt the room spin and lost his bearings. Dean was up, holding Castiel against his chest as he tried to regain his balance. "I thought you said you were getting better"

Castiel stayed against Dean's chest as he led them to the table and sat Castiel down. "I said that yes, but it seems the healing process is taking...longer than usual."

He fixed his wings so they weren't being squeezed by the back of the chair and winced when paint shot down his spine and spread in rivulets, dying out at his fingertips. "They...made sure I would be incapacitated for...quite a while"

"How could your own brothers do this to you? Just because-...they're supposed to be your family! Family sticks by you even when you do stupid things, they're supposed to be there for you...!"

"I deserved it"

"Bullshit"

"I betrayed them, Dean, I was disobedient and I knew the consequences. Even after I received fair warning I still..."

Dean shakes his head furiously "No. That's not how a family works. No matter what you did, it doesn't justify them trying to kill you. I've done some stupid things in the past, and so has Sam. You don't see us trying to kill each other"

Castiel smiled sadly "My siblings aren't...like that, like you"

Castiel sighed, his body felt heavy and his wings were as sore as his heart. Thoughts of home and his brothers did not help with his state at all. "You don't deserve any of this Cas"

"How would you know, Dean?"

"Cause I just know. You don't feel like a bad person and I'm usually spot on with these things"

"I've done horrible things"

"Doesn't matter to me"

Castiel looked at him, into his eyes, directly at his soul and he knew that Dean meant that. That knowledge alone made the pain dull and he exhaled through his nose, letting all those thoughts go, thoughts of home, thoughts of his sins and all that he's done wrong, he let it all go in that breath.

Dean didn't break the steady gaze he had fixated on Castiel's eyes. His hand moved towards the angel's face but a thought of _'what are you doing?'_ stops him and instead, he let his palm fall against Castiel's shoulder, squeezing it gently.

A surge of energy spreads from his touch. Dean doesn't notice but Castiel does. It permeated his entire being all at once and he closed his eyes, reaching up to lace his fingers through the ones on his shoulder, keeping them in place.

Sam doesn't say anything when he comes in, watching from the top of the stairs. All he can do is smile.


	4. Chapter 4

Dean grunted as he wheeled himself from underneath the car and got up, wiping his grease-stained hands on faded jeans. He beamed when he leaned into the cabin and started her up, the engine roaring to life. "Haha listen to her purr!"

Castiel smiled at Dean's joy. It radiated off him in large quantities and was utterly contagious "You seem to enjoy this quite a lot"

"I do" Dean came around to the open bonnet where Castiel had been standing, observing Dean as he worked; and leaned over to tighten a few loose bolts and sigh in contentment, "I tell ya, restoring these babies are great"

He stood up, admiring his work "There's just this feeling of fulfillment when I finish a project, bringing one of these back to life. It's the one good thing I can do"

"I have to disagree with that" Castiel moved closer to Dean, standing right next to him as Dean looked up questioningly "This is not the only good thing you have done Dean, I'm sure Sam would agree with me"

Dean laughed nervously, scratching the back of his neck and looking away from those searching eyes. "Yeah well..."

Castiel was right. Dean had basically raised his brother after their mother died in a fire. Dean was 4 when it happened and Sam had only been a baby. After that, their father pretty much lost his mind with grief and was never home, never there for his sons. Dean had to be mother and father to Sam, he gave up on high school and college which honestly wasn't a big deal for him; so he could get a job and send Sam to school.

Selling the old cars in their grandfather's house after he restored them was in a large part the reason why Sam was able to go to law school now.

For Dean though, it was no big deal, simply a part of his duty to make sure that Sam would have a great life. When it came to Sam, he had no regrets. He was proud of his little brother and knew he would achieve everything he dreamed of.

Castiel felt an extreme level of awe and respect for this human, whose soul seemed to be purer than anything he had ever seen. A man who lived, not for himself but for someone else. Something that Castiel had always been fascinated with, a trait only humans possessed.

There was silence between them, a comfortable silence that was filled with the quiet rumbling of the engine. Dean cleared his throat, looked around a bit before announcing that there was something he needed to get upstairs. Castiel nodded and watched him leave; Dean glanced back at him once, throwing him a smile which Castiel fondly returned.

As Dean's footsteps disappeared up the stairs, the sound of the engine stopped.

Castiel looked over at the car and squinted in confusion. Dean didn't mention these cars to be the ones that turned themselves off, he remembered their earlier conversation about modern vehicles and how they couldn't compare to the classics even with their various features.

He moved to the side of the car to look inside the cabin, running his finger along the side. It was still warm, but the vibration had stopped.

Castiel concentrated and realized that even the subtle sounds that resonated within the bunker on a daily basis had ceased as well. A chill ran up his spine.

"Hello Castiel" he turned and faced the man who had appeared behind him wearing a self-satisfied and triumphant glare as if he owned the world. Which technically he _didn't_ since he was not the oldest. However, no one bothered to point that out.

"Raphael"

Castiel's heart quickened, he had known this day was coming, that he couldn't run forever but he had hoped that there was still more time "Have you come to kill me then?"

Raphael lifted his head as if the very thought appalled him "Oh no, I would never get my hands dirty on a rebel such as yourself. That was Lucifer's job"

"Well he didn't do a very good job" Castiel was still baffled as to how he had escaped Lucifer's clutches. Usually, prey never escaped the snake, especially when he was angry.

"Your punishment will come, Castiel, it is only a matter of time and it will be far worse than death"

Raphael stepped closer to him and Castiel fought with himself to stand his ground despite his fear. "You will watch them die, before dying yourself. That is a promise"

"No!" his blood boiled and his lungs tightened "You leave them out of this. They have nothing to do with any of it!" the very thought of Dean in danger, or Sam made him want to kill the Archangel on the spot. Or die trying.

"The contrary. They have everything to do with this. Dean Winchester is the reason you disobeyed, he is the reason you have put a stain on all Angel kind. All evidence of your disobedience must be...eradicated"

"Please..." Castiel couldn't feel his body; his knees were like wet paper. He had to lean against the car for support.

"Please, just take me. I will come peacefully, I will accept any punishment you have to offer just please...spare them. They're only humans, I'm the one who did this, I'm the one who should be punished"

Raphael studied the younger angel for a moment before his laughter filled the quiet room, hollow and without remorse "Who do you think you are? I do not need your permission to drag you off to heaven's prison; I do not need your cooperation Castiel. I will take it, and they will die as your punishment. That is final"

"Cool it on the hardass shtick won't ya Raphy" Castiel's heart leaped with joy at hearing that familiar voice, the one brother who had seen things his way.

"That is the appropriate action, Gabriel. Nothing you say now matters" Raphael didn't bother looking in Gabriel's direction.

The youngest archangel simply shrugged and twirled the candy stick that was between his lips. "Yeah sure, and does Mikey know you're planning to smite humans without his permission? You know how he gets about daddy's rules."

Raphael sighed. "I'm sure Michael has more important things to worry about"

However, despite his words, he looked at Gabriel with a thoughtful expression,  
Gabriel simply shrugged "Well, if you think he won't be pissed then go ahead, be my guest"

Silence permeated the room once more. Raphael looked between his little brother and the fallen angel, then directed a glare towards Gabriel "This is not over"

The two younger brothers were left alone and Castiel let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Gabriel sighed and glared at the spot that Raphael had occupied "You know he's right. This is definitely not over"

"I know..."

"...Michael didn't want to do this you know..."

Castiel glanced up at his older brother, his eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Yeah, I was surprised too; he was going to let you go. As long as you didn't come back"

Gabriel shook his head and sighed frustrated. "But no, Luci had to convince him that it was a bad idea, that your disobedience would cause the other angels to rebel..."

He looked solemnly at Castiel who had remained deathly silent. "If you don't give yourself up now, Michael won't have a choice but to go with what Raphael wants. Dean and Sam would die"

"I know..." Castiel closed his eyes and ran a hand through his hair "I know what I have to do. I just...I just need a little more time"

"I don't know Cassie, it's a pretty tense situation. It's me against Luci and Raph and I don't-"

"Please..."

Gabriel sighed. He walked over to where Castiel was still leaning on the car and touched his shoulder trying to smile, and gave him a reassuring squeeze. "Alright little bro, I don't know how much I can get ya, but I'll try"

Castiel nodded and looked into his brother's eyes, Gabriel was genuinely sad for him and it made his heart hurt. His older brother hugged him tight and whispered "I wish they could see things your way, I wish none of this had to happen. I'm so sorry Cassie"

"Thank you. You've done more than enough for me"

Gabriel sighed and pulled away before he too disappeared, leaving Castiel with his thoughts.


	5. Chapter 5

Time resumed.

Dean came back into the garage, carrying a box full of spare parts and cleaning supplies. Castiel's back was turned but Dean clearly noticed that he was wiping furiously at his face

"Hey Cas, you okay?"

The angel turned quickly in Dean's direction, straightening his coat and smiling. Dean could tell it was forced "I'm alright Dean, did you find what you were looking for?"

Dean stared at him for a few moments trying to figure out if he should question it any further. He definitely wasn't buying that the angel was fine. Castiel certainly didn't look fine but Dean decided that if Castiel wanted to talk about it, he would.

Instead, he reluctantly embraced the topic change laid out before him.

"Uh yeah...I did. Planning to give the car a facelift now that it's running. Maybe Sam can stop bothering me to borrow my car once and for all"

Castiel smiled but it didn't reach his eyes. They were pale, blank and distant. Thoughts of what he had to do were crowding out everything else. He wanted it to stop. He just wanted to enjoy this, being here, being with Dean. He just wanted everything else to stop.

Dean moved around the car, absorbed in his work before Castiel caught his attention again "Dean...this car is in driving condition, right?"

Dean stood up and looked at him, tilting his head slightly intrigued by the question "Uh...yeah actually. I was planning to take it for a test drive later-"

"Can we go now?"

Dean raised his brow "We? You...want to come with me?"

"Yes." Castiel nodded "I've been in the bunker since I got here, I'd like to see a little bit more of the world outside if you don't mind being my escort"

Dean chuckled throwing the rag in a bucket that was nearby "Well alright then"

They had been driving for about an hour. It felt weird to Dean to be driving another car, but he hoped that Baby wasn't too jealous, it was strictly professional and not as though he had a choice since Sam hadn't returned yet.

Castiel was completely silent in the passenger seat watching the scenery pass by the open window, the wind blowing back his hair and the light reflecting in his eyes. Dean had to make a conscious effort not to stare at the occasions when he glanced over to check on the angel.

"Hey, are your wings okay?"

It was the first time either of them had spoken since leaving the house. Castiel turned his gaze slowly towards Dean and gave him a soft, distant smile "Yes, they're fine. I've tucked them in against my back so they aren't uncomfortable"

Dean didn't really understand how wings that big could be tucked in so much that they were barely visible underneath the blanket he had given Castiel, but he nodded anyway, letting the silence take over once more.

Another hour passed before they were stopping on the side of the road. The sun had begun to set and Dean thought it was the perfect time to take a break from driving. He'd also noticed how fascinated Castiel had been when the sky began to change colour.

The view spread out on both sides of the open road for miles, just miles of green like a sea below them and the sun setting on the horizon all visible from the inside of the car.

For a while, they sat in silence, like they had for the entire journey, but it wasn't awkward, it wasn't tedious. Dean didn't feel like he had to say something to fill the void. It was just the two of them, enjoying each other's company.

Castiel sighed. Dean looked over to him but the angel was looking somewhere else, somewhere far away.

"We were taught that our greatest purpose was to protect the earth. We were to be guardians of life, watchers over eternity...I was so proud of that" the angel spoke as if he was talking to himself, relaying his thoughts out loud in a distant voice.

"When I was chosen to be a Guardian, it was the best moment of my life. I would be responsible for a human being's life. I would watch them grow, guide them and keep them safe from harm. It was my most important assignment, I could finally fulfil the purpose I was created for..."

Blue eyes lowered to his hands, mirroring the weight on his heart."Yet...I failed. I brought you pain"

Castiel's voice was quiet, broken. Dean heard it crack, "No matter what happens, I will protect you, Dean. No matter what it takes, no matter what it costs me, I will make sure that you and Sam are safe" but when he looked into Dean's eyes, Dean could see his conviction.

Dean felt his stomach twist uncomfortably as Castiel's words sank in. When the angel looked back at him with glassy eyes, barely fighting back tears, Dean's stomach dropped and panic washed over him.

"Cas, what did you do?"

Castiel was silent before "...I fell"

Dean stared at him, Castiel didn't otherwise respond. He only smiled, letting his body lean into Dean's and resting his head on the human's shoulder.

Castiel's gaze wandered to the darkening sky, one by one the stars were starting to appear like tiny fireflies emerging from underground.

There was an immense amount of fear and worry radiating off of Dean. Castiel repeated his earlier words in an effort to alleviate Dean's worries.

"I will protect you...no matter what" he whispered

Dean swallowed the lump that was forming in his throat without his permission. "What...what does that mean, Cas?" It felt as though Castiel was saying goodbye, he hoped more than anything that wasn't what this was.

"It means what it means"

"You know what I'm talking about, why -"

"Dean"

Castiel looked up at him, eyes pleading "Can we just enjoy each other's company?"

Dean looked at him with uncertainty, the angel didn't want to tell him yet, he didn't want to ruin this moment, "Please?"

The human sighed, giving in. "Fine" He honestly didn't want to know what this was about. It scared him.

Instead, he wrapped his arm around the angel's shoulder, pulling Castiel closer to his body and leaned his head back on the seat. Castiel hummed and closed his eyes, surrounding himself with the sound of Dean's breathing. It evened out slowly and his heartbeat became steady, quiet and comforting against Castiel's ear.

Castiel watched Dean sleep. The sun had set many hours ago, but there was no way the angel was going to wake him up.

He was content to just watch him sleep like he had done so many times before, but then Dean started to mutter. Castiel tilted his head in confusion, trying to make out what he was saying at first, then the most intense fear he had ever felt washed over him and he actually shuddered.

Dean's eyes were scrunched tightly closed and his nails were digging into the seats so hard that his knuckles were white. Castiel grabbed his shoulders and tried to shake him awake.

"Dean...!"

Dean couldn't hear him, he couldn't hear anything. The darkness pressed into him like a wall, trying to crush him. He couldn't breathe, couldn't scream when he felt the cold blade against his skin. It felt like someone was peeling his skin off.

Dean began to jerk violently and Castiel fought to keep him still, trying to wake him up by calling his name wasn't working. He had to go in and get him.

Putting his forefinger and ring finger together, he pressed them to Dean's forehead pouring his grace into Dean's mind in hopes that it would calm him down.

The nightmare poured into him in turn, the cold, the intense darkness, the fear, the pain as they ripped into his flesh, not being able t scream, not being able to breathe. He knew it all too well.

With a jerk, he fell back against the opposite side of the seat, chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath.

That, those were his memories. Why was Dean dreaming about his memories?

He stared at the human as he tried to calm his racing heart. Dean had relaxed.

Castiel crawled over to him, resting his palms on either side of Dean's face and pressing his forehead to the human's.

He felt Dean's calm, felt the quiet in his mind. He felt Dean's soul, reaching out to him at the point of contact. His own grace, his own soul reacted, sending another shockwave of energy through him, like the one he felt in the bunker. Dean stirred but didn't wake.

Castiel raised his head from Dean's slowly, staring at him as everything began to make sense, everything that he had ever felt, the reason he made his choice to rebel against heaven, this incredible pull towards the human he was supposed to only watch from a distance. Everything made complete sense as he felt Dean's soul wrap around his grace.

But, this wouldn't change anything.

The angel slid silently down until his head was resting on Dean's chest instead. He stayed there, listening to Dean's heartbeat again, tears welling up in his eyes.

Chest heaving, breath ragged and tears streaming down his face, staining Dean's shirt.

This wouldn't change a damn thing.


	6. Chapter 6

I knew his name before he was born.

Dean Winchester, the first child of Mary and John Winchester. I was there when he was born; I watched over his mother as she gave birth, and when he opened his eyes he looked at her and laughed. It felt as if he was looking at me with those big green eyes. I couldn't help but smile.

He grew fast, strong and bursting with energy, always on the move and curious about everything. I watched over him as was my duty, protecting him from mortal danger. We were told not to interfere otherwise.

When he was tempted to stick his wet fingers in a socket, a carefully placed toy was good for a distraction. When he had nightmares, a whisper of comfort or a touch to the forehead to sooth those troublesome thoughts would suffice.

Four years went by so fast. Soon, another little one was added to the Winchester family. Dean was ecstatic for the company and I was curious to see how these brothers would grow and what sort of relationship they'd have. Nothing brought me more pleasure than watching over them.

Then, I tasted failure for the first time.

The fire raged through the house and Dean held his little brother in his arms, terrified as his father tried to save their mom. His father yelled at him to run. I guided him, past the broken wood and burning furniture out the front door. I wish I could have saved her, but it was not my place.

My wings spread protectively over him as they stood on the lawn watching their childhood burn. I saw the soul-wrenching pain on Dean's face and for the first time...I cried. Silent tears of despair.

Still, as he grew the pain of his past and his present never stained his soul, it remained pure, clean and full of hope. Hope that he put in his brother, love that he showed to no one else but Sam. His heart he kept closed off; even as a child he would never show weakness in the face of adversity.

The night I saw his true strength was the night his father came home drunk for the first time.

I had sensed John's emotional degradation but I never thought he'd be capable of this. He was angry, so very angry. Angels are not allowed to harm humans, but at that moment I never wanted to eradicate a human life more.

Dean stood his ground. He had to, for he was the only thing between his father and his little brother and there was nothing on earth or in the entire universe that would get him to move.

Sam fell asleep crying in Dean's arms. Those 12-year-old arms held him close, held him tight with a silent vow to always keep him safe. I too made a silent vow, to never let anyone hurt them again. Rules be damned.

That night I saw the real Dean. He sat on the floor by Sam's bed; the only light was the moonlight coming through the motel window. He cried, he cried so silently, but so hard that every breath he took made my wings bristle, every feather vibrating with his ragged breathing.

For the first time, the rules didn't matter. I let my wings wrap tightly around him and felt his skin, warm against my feathers.  
Those eyes that had already matured to a deep crystal green tinted with honey, gazed at me, first with shock and then with something like realization and awe. I felt his fingers on my wings and a chill ran up my spine.

Every voice in my head was telling me to leave now, but I could not, he needed me.  
I held him close that night - the way he had held Sam - until he fell asleep and made sure that no nightmares disturbed him.

That was my first mistake.

My first warning came from my older brother, Gabriel. He told me that I should be careful, that these feelings I had were human feelings and I should not embrace them. They weren't meant for angels and they would destroy me. That warning fell on deaf ears.

Instead, I heard the sound of Dean's laughter, the sound of his voice as he sang along to his favorite songs and drummed his hands on the steering wheel of his father's car. The sound of him and Sam arguing over which of two very similar movies was better. The sound of his steady heartbeat as he slept.

The next warning wasn't really a warning since it came as a summons. I was to be 'reformed', a fancy name for what they did to angels who disobeyed orders, to make the perfect soldier who had no questions, no doubts and no will. In other words, mind control mixed in with Naomi's own brand of torture.

That was a blur, however. I remember screaming. Darkness, cold, fading in and out of consciousness, cold hands on my skin, broken words, sometimes my own words saying things that I didn't know I knew, things that I couldn't understand, and sometimes it was just me begging for them to stop.

It all blurred together, time passed strangely here, I didn't know how much actually passed, but it felt endless, so completely endless.

Naomi.

Her face was all I saw, for all that time, whether I was awake or dreaming, her sadistic smile replayed in my mind, her sickly sweet voice repeating, even over my screams, that everything would be alright, that I would be better soon, that I would soon be perfect. She drilled into my mind with cold metal spikes, repeating the same phrases over and over as they cut into me with blades.

I endured it all, and soon I had begun to believe that I deserved it, soon I had lost myself, my thoughts were no longer my own and my voice was silenced. Just the way they wanted. Yet, hatred burned inside me, for her, and a desperate longing grew alongside it. They had been trying to silence those too, but with every attempt, they only grew stronger, stronger than anything I had ever felt.

As the torture grew, I became numb to it, my mind went blank. I didn't bother to open my eyes anymore; I was tired of seeing her face. I was tired of screaming, my throat was hoarse, raw from overuse. But there was a scream as a blade cut through my arm. I knew it was not mine.

It sliced through me again and there was another scream, it echoed in my mind, loud enough to make my ears ring. Pain spread throughout my body suddenly, a dull and relentless pain that would not subside or let itself be replaced by the path of the blade along my skin. I focused all my attention on it, trying to locate its source. My mind began to drone out everything else, my senses became hypersensitive as a surge of energy and adrenaline coursed through me in a bolt of electricity. Then I was on my feet, breaking through my restraints catching my torturers off guard.

I lunged for Naomi, purely off instinct. The only coherent thought in my damaged mind was to get out. Get out of here, _save him_.

I felt the warm glow of angel grace as it flared, vaguely hearing her scream, barely recognizing the feeling of blood on my fingers or the sound of the blade falling, hitting the floor. I don't know when I had started running, but I was running, the others had called for reinforcements.

As they surrounded me, one thought ran through my mind _'Dean'_

I was in a quiet room, small, cozy, stone walls and concrete floor. The only furniture in the room was a wooden side table, a small bed, and Dean Winchester. Dean. Dean was asleep.

I limped towards the bed, towards him. The clock on the nightstand stopped ticking and I felt the familiar presence of my brother behind me.

"Escaping was a stupid move Castiel, even for you"

"Lucifer..."

"Now I have to clean up your mess, I'm not thrilled about that."

He flipped out his gold blade, one of four in existence, and slashed at me, which I managed to dodge somehow. I found there was no fear in me at this moment, even though I was fighting Lucifer, second oldest of the archangels and my superior in every way. I was not afraid, more than anything else, I was angry.

We fought around Dean's room; I managed to stay one step ahead of his blade while keeping him away from Dean. I could see that he was becoming irritated by my evasive tactics.

"Ugh. This is pointless. Hold still so I can stab you already!"

He lunged at me again, less planned and more out of frustration and I found enough energy to push him back hard enough that he crashed into the table.

His blade nicked Dean's hip, leaving a long, angry red scar. Lucifer glanced at it and shook his head "Now see, if you would just let me kill you like a good little angel, that wouldn't have happened"

He rose from the ground, dusting himself off "Not that it matters, I'm probably gonna kill him anyway"

And just as how I broke from my restraints, I had rushed forward and pinned him against the wall before I could realize it, but when I did, taking the moment of surprise as an advantage, I used as much of the energy I could manage and blasted him out of the room in a bright flash of white.

The clocked continued to tick, filling the quiet room. I kneeled by Dean's bed, where he was still asleep. My eyes fell on the wound on his hip, and the fresh scars on his arms. _'I'm sorry...'_

With the last of my energy, I cast a protective barrier over the house hoping that it would afford me a bit more time. I tried to heal his wounds but only managed to stop the bleeding before darkness began to creep at the edge of my vision.

I let it take me over, without anxiousness, for the first time, it was warm.


	7. Chapter 7

Castiel was silent the entire way back to the bunker. Even as they descended the stairs into the living room he remained as such. Sam gave Dean a look that asked _'What happened?'_ and all Dean could do was give a halfhearted shrug.

When Castiel turned to them suddenly not able to look either one in the eye after saying "There's something I need to tell you both" they knew definitively that something was up.

They sat there quietly, well Sam sat, Dean simply folded his arms and waited, casting an expectant stare Castiel's way, one which the angel still didn't meet. He took a deep breath, cleared his head and steeled himself for the conversation that was about to happen and the overwhelming emotions that were sure to follow "I have to go"

There was silence between the three men for what felt like an eternity. Castiel wished it was, then, at least he would have had so much more time. Sam blinked a few times trying to process what was said and Dean hadn't moved. The sentence hadn't really registered to him, despite his suspicions in the car.

"What?" Sam was the one to recover first. Well not really, his mind was still processing information but he felt the need to say something to fill the silence.

"The angels, they're coming for me. It's time for me to accept my punishment" Castiel stated simply, as if it wasn't a big deal, as if it was simply a matter of principle and a duty that he had to fulfill.

It was Dean's turn to blink and respond with an unbelieving "What?"

Sam shook his head, finally catching up with reality "Wait, what? You mean they're coming right now?"

"Yes...any time now actually"

"What's gonna happen to you?"

Castiel made an effort to look them both in the eye, in turn, this time, he at least owed them that much for what he was about to say.

"I'll die"

Silence prevailed once more engulfing the three in their own thoughts and emotions. The thought of what was about to happen was so heavy, they could feel it pushing against them, weighing them down. Dean's hands fell from across his chest and he was the first one to make any movement since those words had been spoken. He glared at Castiel not really angry at the angel but not knowing where else to direct his anger. He was pissed and he wanted to make sure that the others knew it.

"Don't go with them"

Castiel smiled internally at how easy Dean made it sound. He wished so much that it was that easy. "I can't disobey again. I have no choice"

"Yes, you do! Don't go! Run away from here, or fight back but don't just let them kill you!"

"I wish it was that simple Dean, but it's not."

"Is there really nothing you can do Cas? Appeal your case or something?"

Castiel turned to Sam shaking his head slowly "No. Our system does not work like yours. I've done something unforgivable; there is no getting out of this."

Castiel sighed, running a hand through his hair, he knew this was going to be hard, but the looks on their faces and the feelings radiating off of Dean were too much. He had to try and cheer them up; somehow "You don't have to worry about me, please. I will ensure both of you are safe, and when I die...all your memories of me will be gone, it will be as if I never existed...it will be okay"

Dean's brain couldn't fathom what he was hearing if he was aware of himself at that moment his face would have probably looked like Sam's; saucer-eyed and slack-jawed, or probably worse "What the hell do you mean by that?"

Castiel tilted his head in confusion, he thought he was very precise and to the point with that statement. Nothing should have been misunderstood "It's as I said...when an angel has been executed all memory of them is erased, usually from anyone who knew them, -"

"And you think that's supposed to make us feel better?!" Dean shouted. Sam could practically see the smoke coming out of his ears. He glared at Castiel for a moment before shaking his head and storming out of the room, making sure that his shoulder 'brushed' against the angel's none too gently.

Castiel turned to Sam even more confused "I don't understand. Logically having no memory of someone you lost should be better, shouldn't it?"

Sam gave Castiel a sad smile and shook his head "I think...that if I met someone who changed my world, who was special to me, there would be no way I would want to forget them. No matter how much it hurt, because I wouldn't have regretted meeting them in the first place"

Castiel only stared at him, his mind seeing the sense in Sam's words "Cas, Dean and I...we don't regret meeting you. We never will, and neither of us thinks you deserve to die, no matter what you did"

Castiel nodded. He slowly turned towards the direction Dean had gone "I'll...go talk to him"

Dean paced the room. Usually when someone paced it meant they were thinking of something, working and reworking plans and formulating a response to whatever their situation was at that moment. That was not what Dean was doing.

He paced simply because it was the only logical thing in his mind to do. The other things, were detrimental, to say the least, but the most persistent one was the urge to scream at the top of his lungs how stupid everything and everyone was.

Castiel came in as Dean turned away from the door for the fourth time in just as many seconds. There should be burn tracks on the floor.

He didn't stop even as Castiel got closer to him, he didn't want to stop, and he didn't want to look into those eyes, those eyes that were only concerned for Dean and not for themselves, even though they were facing their last hours. "Dammit!"

Castiel stopped for a split second and Dean realized he had said that out loud, but he couldn't care less at that point and he certainly wasn't going to stop. Castiel realized this and did the only thing he could think to do because words had failed him in the previous scenario. He grabbed Dean's wrist. The sudden action caused Dean to jerk forward. Inches from the angel's face. Dean blinked, Castiel did the head tilt.

No words were spoken right away but eventually, Dean looked away and didn't look back at Castiel. He couldn't look at Castiel because he feared that if he did, he would shatter into a million pieces. When he spoke his voice came out shaky, lacking all the anger that he had before "Please...don't go with them. Don't do this"

"I cannot keep resisting. If I do then...they'll kill you, and Sam. I can't let that happen. I'd rather die than let that happen."

Dean shook his head "We can fight them then, together. This place is filled with books on all sorts of things I didn't think existed. But you exist. So they must be the real deal, we can find a way to fight back Cas we can-"

"That's ridiculous; I won't let you put your lives in danger for me. This is...easier"

"Like hell it is!" Dean's voice broke, all he could come out with was a harsh whisper "I can't lose you Cas, I can't. Not after-"

"Dean, please..."

Dean shook his head, this whole situation sucked.

As much as Castiel tried to be brave, for Dean, for Sam, he was scared, he was terrified. He just wanted to stay with Dean. Why couldn't they understand? Why couldn't they just let him be happy?!

The tears streamed down his face, he couldn't stop them. He didn't want to stop them, he had tried but he has been trying to be strong for so long now and he just wanted to cry. Dean didn't have to think about what he was doing, he moved his hand to Castiel's jaw and wiped the tears there, caressing his face gently in his palm.

"Knowing you for the past twenty years...have been the best years of my life, and I've had such a _long_ life. I never thought I would have ever been lucky enough to meet a human with a soul so pure, so beautiful." When Castiel's eyes connected with Dean's, they both felt the surge of energy this time that caused their hearts to skip and start beating in tandem with the other. Castiel's voice was so quiet, but Dean heard it "How could I have helped myself? What chance did I ever stand against you?"

Dean grabbed Castiel by the waist, smashing their lips together. They moved with each other, perfectly in sync, energies resonating in passionate waves that lit both their souls on fire and neither wanted to let go. Dean felt that he would have been perfectly okay suffocating if only it meant he didn't have to pull away. Breathless he begged, for the last time "Don't leave me Cas"

Castiel closed his eyes and whispered, "I love you too..."


	8. Chapter 8

It all happened in slow motion. They grabbed Castiel, one on each side and pulled him away. Dean froze, partly from surprise and partly from shock. He felt like they had just ripped a hole in his reality.

The two angels dragged Castiel to the other room where Gabriel was waiting for him. Castiel gave him a puzzled look. He had expected Raphael or even Lucifer. "They...ordered me to come and get you."

That made more sense, he was simply following orders "Well, considering the circumstances I am glad I get to see you again" Gabriel gave him a weak smile, that was all he could manage.

Dean had regained some of his senses and stormed in, pushing one of the angel's out of his way. The other readied his blade. Castiel nearly had a heart attack.

"Hey hey, blades down boys, no stabbing the human" Gabriel warned.

Castiel blinked, looking at Dean with panic and slight fascination "Dean - " Castiel tried but Dean already wasn't listening.

"How could you do this to your own brother?!"

Gabriel turned an annoyed glance in his general direction and rolled his eyes but didn't otherwise respond.

"How can you just stand there and let them take him? What could he have done to deserve being killed by his own family huh? What the hell kinda brother are you, to just stand by and watch, don't you care about him at all?!"

Gabriel rounded on him and even though he was shorter, Dean shrunk back, only slightly before catching himself and standing his ground against the pure rage radiating from the archangel "You shut your cake hole. You don't know anything about me, you can't begin to understand what's about to happen and you're just pissed off because there is nothing you can do about any of this, so spare me your bull crap!"

There was silence between all present. Gabriel turned away, his voice lowering "You think I want to do this? To drag my little brother, who I practically raised from birth to his execution? You think that if there was anything I could do I wouldn't have done it?"

"You can save him" Dean stated. The archangel met his eyes then and Dean didn't look away. Gabriel was trying to stare him down but Dean wasn't going to give up "You're right. I'm human, I can't do anything about this, but you can. Save him"

Castiel was looking between the two hoping that this would not escalate any further.

Sam walked in, tablet in hand. He was about to say something when he looked up and was greeted with three extra pairs of eyes and his brother in one of those stances he did when he was about to do something stupid. The dangerous kind of stupid.

"...Dean? What's going on" he tried, hoping it would at least distract him a bit. It didn't.

Gabriel was the one to break the stare off, Dean, however, was determined to bore holes through the side of the archangel's head.

"Look, this is getting ridiculous" he glanced between Sam and Dean "This is happening, there's nothing any of us can do about it and Cassie knows his responsibility-"

"I do, and I'm okay with it" Castiel offered. He made a point not to look at Dean when he said this, however.

"-so there's no point in making a big deal out of this. When Castiel dies, you guys won't remember him at all, and you'll probably be assigned a new guardian angel. Them's the rules."

Dean was about to protest when Gabriel turned his back and, with a remorseful glance at Castiel, he snapped his fingers and they were gone.

The court was deathly quiet as they dragged Castiel in before the archangels. Michael sat at the top of a raised platform, its steps descending to the hall below. His eyes were soft, though his entire body radiated authority pronounced more by his large, pure white wings folded neatly behind him. Lucifer stood to his left, his arms folded across his chest and an ever-present grin turned his lips up in a snarl. His wings were not as neat as his older brother's, ruffled and a shade darker, they drooped slightly, the tips reaching the floor. Raphael stood below them. His expression was smug and his eyes were cold as he glared at Castiel.

Last but not least was Gabriel. He did not stand on the stairs or anywhere near the platform. Instead, he stood with the other, lower ranked angels on the ground floor to Castiel's right. Only two of his six golden brown wings were showing. Gabriel often didn't show his wings because he claimed they were too big and annoying. Now, they were folded loosely, drooping all the way to the floor and dragging behind him, reflecting the mood of their owner, reserved and deflated.

Castiel tried to smile when he met Gabriel's eyes, but it quickly faltered when Gabriel looked down and away. He couldn't look into Castiel's eyes and the expression he wore told Castiel everything he needed to know. He didn't want to be here. He wanted to pretend this wasn't happening.

Michael sighed, so softly only Lucifer who stood directly beside him could hear it before he spoke "Castiel; Angel of Thursday, you have committed crimes against heaven, disobeying direct orders from your superiors and proving to be unrepentant. You have committed the unforgivable crime of killing two angels in your escape and attempting to injure an archangel. Do you have anything to say in your defence?"

"Why bother asking him that, he's gonna die anyway"

Michael turned to Lucifer levelling him with a stare that said his input was not appreciated, Lucifer just shrugged and turned away, pretending to inspect his fingernails.

Castiel looked up at his oldest brother and Michael was surprised to see the confidence in his eyes "I don't believe what I did was truly wrong. I no longer believe free will to be something bad, simply, it is freedom...I used that freedom to follow my heart"

Michael was silent. Castiel's words replayed in his mind and he found himself regretting this entire ordeal. If only Castiel had asked for forgiveness sooner, maybe something could have been done, but no matter how much Michael wished he didn't have to pass this sentence, he knew he had no choice, no matter how bad it felt. There could be no free will in heaven.

Raphael glanced at Michael and saw the hesitation in his eyes, deciding to speak up "Brother, with all due respect, you must pass the sentence..."

Gabriel glared at Raphael then, who responded with his own glare and a smirk "despite what _some_ of us may think, rules are here to give us order, peace. He is guilty of disrupting that order and must be punished for it or else others might think it okay to disobey-"

"Enough" Michael closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose briefly "Castiel you do understand that what you did is unforgivable. Despite your reasons...I cannot let it stand. This is necessary to maintain order"

Castiel nodded, never breaking eye contact with Michael "Yes, I understand and I accept my punishment"

Lucifer laughed out loud this time earning a glare from Michael, Gabriel and surprisingly Raphael. The latter mainly because he was annoyed at the interruption.

"The one who died for love huh? Pathetic" Lucifer continued to laugh ignoring the annoyance of the others "I'd much rather die for power...makes more sense doesn't it?"

"Lucifer" Michael cautioned.

"I mean what does love get ya? " Michael turned to fully glare at him now because he was really getting on his nerves. Lucifer huffed. "Alright alright. Geez, can't I have my two cents?"

"No!"

"Well, excuse me"

Michael huffed and returned his gaze to Castiel, something flashed in his eyes that caused Gabriel to raise his brow briefly in confusion before looking away again.

"Castiel, Angel of Thursday, I hereby sentence you to death"

The angels on either side of Castiel tightened their grip on him. Lucifer pushed himself from his leaning position and stepped forward before Michael stopped him with an outstretched hand, eyes focused on Gabriel.

"Uh, Mikey, your hand is kinda in my way"

"You will not carry out this execution"

The youngest archangel looked up then, making a face of complete horror, before schooling his expression into one of placid annoyance "I don't want to Mike"

"Ah come on, that's mean even for you Michael. Just let me do it"

Michael gave his brother a long-suffering stare "and where is your blade, then?"

"You know where it is, its Castiel's fault I lost it, besides, I don't need the archangel blade for this-"

"Gabriel, if you would" Michael gave Gabriel a pointed gaze. There was that flash again.

He hesitated for a few seconds, knowing that he had to do this even if he didn't want to, Michael had given the order. Everyone was waiting.

He took a deep breath and tried to steady his hand as he pulled his gold blade from his jacket and stepped toward Castiel, who smiled at him. Gabriel didn't break eye contact this time. He stopped directly in front of Castiel, close enough that he could see the pale blue spots in his eyes, feel his breath on his face. Gabriel closed his eyes "I can't do this, Cas"

Castiel freed his hand from one of the angels and stroked Gabriel's arm. Gabriel looked up at him "I don't want to do this."

"I know...however, I would much rather be killed by the person who gave me a life. If it wasn't for you I wouldn't have survived this long. I'm okay with it ending like this."

Gabriel had to fight to keep his composure, he refused to cry in front of the court but Castiel knew what he was feeling. Gabriel hugged him tight and Castiel returned it happily. He smiled and closed his eyes as he felt his grace rise, warming his entire body in a flash of light. He held Gabriel tighter, in effect pushing the blade further into his body.

"I'm so sorry Cas" Gabriel managed to choke out before Castiel's grace flashed again, a bright shining blue and white that burned through his wings and consumed his soul, leaving Gabriel holding his lifeless body, scorch marks staining the white marble floor.

"He didn't have to die! You could have dropped the sentence!" Gabriel yelled. He and Michael were walking through one of the upper halls. It had been a few hours since the trial, but the sting was still fresh in Gabriel's mind.

"No, I could not. What kind of message would that send?" Michael stated.

"Who cares about the message?! He was our brother!"

"So is every other angel out there" Michael turned to Gabriel then "I know what you're feeling Gabriel, I had hoped that Castiel would not have disobeyed, but he made his choice. And I had to make mine, for the sake of this family"

"By ripping it apart?"

Michael sighed "No. By maintaining the rules Father left, keeping the peace, avoiding chaos. It's my responsibility, I don't expect you to understand-"

"If father was here he would have-"

"Father left!" Gabriel was surprised by that outburst. Lashing out and raising voices was mainly him and Lucifer's job. Michael was usually above that.

The oldest archangel turned away, clenching his fists at his sides continuing in a softer almost vulnerable voice, "Father left, and I have been _trying_. Trying so hard to keep heaven running properly. To keep us all together. Anarchy is the last thing I need. As a leader, I could not let my personal feelings cloud my judgment in that way, don't you get it?"

There was silence between them for a while. Gabriel took that time to calm himself down despite how hurt he was feeling and Michael regained his composure.

Gabriel looked up at his brother, letting all his feelings play out on his face "I couldn't do it...Castiel and that human; Dean. You know they were-"

"...Yes, I know. I saw it"

"Then why?!"

Michael paused for a few moments before turning to walk away "...because I knew you couldn't do it"

Gabriel's eyes widened as he watched his brother leave.

"In any case, this is over. Time to move on"


	9. Chapter 9

_One year later_

Dean sat at the table, in the dark, surrounded by empty bottles. He had told himself that he would stop at the twentieth bottle of beer but it didn't really take. His days were spent like this, thinking; thinking about where it all went wrong. He remembered what his life was like a year ago, it wasn't great but it wasn't this bad. He hadn't felt empty...broken. Not like this.

Back then he had felt happy, working on his cars, taking care of Sam and just enjoying their life, until that day. He didn't know what happened but he remembered that day clearly. A sick nauseating feeling washed over him that day and it had felt like someone had ripped out his soul. Ever since then, he was empty. Lost.

Sam came up the stairs from his room and entered the living room. He rubbed his eyes and yawned, his hair sticking up at odd angles yet still managing to look completely perfect. Figured.

He blinked a couple times and tried to manoeuvre his way to the kitchen in a sleepy daze. Dean looked at him slightly amused. It didn't last long, however, when Sam suddenly turned accusing eyes on him "Dean? Did you even go to bed last night?"

"Nah. Wasn't sleepy" that was his excuse for the past year, his excuse for getting about four hours of sleep per week if he was lucky. Sam had stopped buying that excuse after the first three days, but Dean found the need to use it anyway.

"You haven't slept in two days Dean, your body is gonna shut down from running off fumes"

"I'm fine-"

"You don't sleep, you barely eat and you've been drinking non-stop. Just look at the floor! How are you _'fine'_?!"

"Just chill alright, I'm good. I'm just working through some stuff right now, gimme some time and I'll"

"-It's been a year, Dean."

"Yeah well it's a lot of stuff"

"Dean-"

"How about you make some breakfast then? I could eat if it'll shut you up about this"

Sam glared at him. Dean had to fight the urge to laugh because it wasn't a very convincing glare. He looked like an angry fuzzball.

Sam huffed and stomped into the kitchen, leaving Dean snickering softly. His eyes fell on the half-empty beer near his arm and his mind drifted off into aimless thought once more. The next time he tuned in, Sam was placing a plate of waffles and bacon in front of him and a cup of coffee.

It smelled delicious, despite the way the bacon had darkened. It nearly got away from Sam probably, but Dean still felt his stomach rumble in anticipation. It was the first time he had actually looked at a plate of any type of food for a while.

Sam sat down across from him with his own food and gave Dean a pointed look that said ' _You better eat it all or I'll slash all the tires on the Impala'_

Dean shot him a glare in response. _'I dare you. I'd kill you, you're children and your grandchildren. Just try me'_

He slowly took a few bites of the waffles and a sip of the coffee before picking up a slice of bacon and chewing on it, staring at Sam who shrugged and started eating his own food, obviously satisfied that Dean had at least _started_ eating.

A silence grew between them as Sam watched Dean pick at the rest of his food while he ate his. He cleared his throat after a while and began to speak "So...Ash is organizing a movie night later and he told me to invite you"

"No thanks"

"Charlie and Kevin have been complaining about how they haven't seen you in ages. Charlie is worried you know"

"I don't want to be around people right now"

Sam sighed but nodded in understanding before gathering his plate and standing "Okay. Just...think about it would you?"

Dean sighed but didn't otherwise respond. Sam left him alone for the rest of the day.

Sam came home to find Dean fast asleep. At the table. The same place he had left him that morning and the food untouched since the last time he had seen it. That was it. He threw down his bag and stomped over to where Dean was forming a nice puddle of drool on the dark wooden surface. "Dean!"

No response. Sam groaned and tried louder "Dean!"

"Waah-hah!" Dean's head shot up and he blinked a couple time, his mouth hung open and he flailed his arms around as if he was being attacked.

"Dean...we are going to that get-together. I'm not taking no for an answer"

Dean blinked a few more times, but it was taking a while for him to figure out that the person talking to him wasn't in his head. It wasn't until Sam had made him shower and he had started getting dressed that he realized what was happening. It was too late.

"Sammy...come on, I don't wanna go."

"We're going. You need to socialize"

"No one 'needs' to socialize. Especially not me, not now. Couldn't you leave me to be unconscious in peace?"

"Nope"

Sam was currently driving them in the direction of Ash's house. He lived a few miles away from where the boys did and a couple minutes from the college they all went to; excluding Dean of course. Dean was too cool for college.

They pulled up in front of the house and Sam got out of the driver's side. Dean had made no move to open the door so Sam went around to his side to drag him out. Dean protested, quite loudly as Sam pulled him by the wrist to the door "Oh come on, stop being such a baby, you're gonna have a good time. Even if it kills you"

"That's the thing, Sam, it just might"

Sam knocked on the door before turning to Dean who was scowling at the gravel under his feet "Don't be ridiculous-"

"Hey mi amigo!"

Sam turned around and smiled as he greeted the blond at the door "Hey Ash-"

"Woah, if it isn't Deano. I thought you up and left the country or somethin'"

"Yeah well, I thought about it..."

Sam rolled his eyes and Ash laughed, moving aside to let them in "Step inside my domain, mi casa su casa or you know, whatevs"

Inside the two-story house smelled like freshly made popcorn and punch with a trace of alcohol mixed in. The music played softly, some classic rock which Dean appreciated, and there weren't many people there, most of them he knew aside for one or two new faces. Another thing he really appreciated. Being around strangers right now would not have been ideal since he still felt like strangling Sam for taking him out of the house.

There was a flash of red and Dean found himself being tackled and thrown towards the couch he had tried to pass as he followed Sam. His only reflex was to yell as his back was pressed into the couch cushions.

"What the-?!"

"DEAN! YOU'RE ALIVE!"

Dean blinked a few times and his eyes finally focused on who was on top of him, squeezing the air out of his lungs in the most platonic way possible. "C-charlie? I can't breathe...!"

"Oh! Right, sorry" She got up and stood to help Dean to his feet. "You can't blame me though, I haven't seen you in forever!"

Dean was still trying to catch his breath "Y-yeah, well...I haven't been up for any social escapades in a while so..."

"Is everything okay...?"

"...yeah. I'm fine"

Charlie gave him a look that said _'why the hell you lying'_ and rolled her eyes. "Come on Dean, don't give me that crap. Something happened"

Dean scratched his head and looked away from her. He was surprised when she took his arm and pulled him toward the kitchen where there were fewer people "come on, let's have a drink and stuff our faces with popcorn and you can rant to me about why you became a hermit alright?"

She left no room for resistance and Dean frankly didn't have the energy to resist anyway. Sam watched Dean being dragged away and smiled in approval. He knew that his brother needed this, no matter how much he tried to protest.

Dean and Charlie had spent the time doing exactly what she had said they would do. They talked and laughed trying to catch up with everything that had happened in each other's lives for the past year, Dean didn't have much to say but Charlie had been extremely busy and spared no details.

"I mean, working at Roman Enterprises is great and all but that Dick really gets to me. I mean his face just pisses me off!" Charlie ranted. She had been talking about her new, creepy boss for the last ten minutes but Dean had been content just listening, somewhat, instead of being questioned. She had tried to get some information out of him earlier but after a while of short answers and vague responses, Dean had somehow managed to steer her onto a tangent. Thank Chuck for that.

Dean looked up as Charlie continued about her job, he was looking around for Sam out of habit and saw that he was sitting on the floor in front of the large television, playing a video game with Ash and Kevin. Dean vaguely wondered when Sam got into video games in the first place, and why no movies were playing even though this was supposed to be a 'movie night' or something.

However, all his thought processes stopped, as well as some basic functions like remembering how to breathe when his eyes brushed over a familiar face in the group watching the game. The stranger's eyes locked with his for a brief second and Dean felt a twang in his chest. He got up without a word to Charlie and didn't even hear when she called out to him in question.

Slowly he made his way over to the stranger, he was tempted to reach out and touch his shoulder but the stranger turned to smile with one of his companions and Dean's hand fell immediately. That wasn't the person he thought he saw. Dean wasn't even sure he knew who he was expecting.

He looked down at his boots for a couple seconds, scolding himself for being a bit stupid and then turned abruptly almost bumping into Charlie. "Dean? Why'd you just leave all of a sudden? Is something wrong?"

"No...I-I just...I gotta go" Dean moved past her and towards the door. Charlie called after him again and Sam looked up and noticed his brother leaving.

"This was a bad idea," Dean said to no one in particular as he grabbed his jacket and opened the door. Sam followed him outside and jogged to catch up to him.

"Dean!" Dean didn't really want to stop but he did anyway so that Sam could catch up "Hey, why are you leaving, what happened?"

"I'm fine, I just need to get some air"

"Dean, what's wrong?"

Dean didn't respond. There was no way he could even if he wanted to because he didn't know. He didn't know what was going on with him, he didn't know anything.

"Dean-"

"We passed a bar on the way up here, that's where I'll be if you need me" Dean began to walk away and Sam started to argue but his brother wasn't listening anymore. He watched Dean disappear down the street and sighed, turning to go back inside.

It was dawn when Dean stumbled out of the bar, not willingly, of course, they kicked him out because they needed to close up and go home. Plus, they couldn't let him drink their entire stock like he had intended to.

As he walked down the road he wasn't sure which direction he was going in, he knew that he would either end up back home or at Ash's house and either one would be fine as long as he could pass out on a couch somewhere. It was a straight shot in either direction, so you can imagine his surprise when he heard the sound of a car horn blaring at him and looked up to find that he was in the middle of the road. When had he started to cross, he didn't really know, all his brain registered was that he was going to die.

 _'...so this is it then.'_

He heard tires screech, smelt the burning rubber and felt dirt rain over him as his back hit the ground. Through the haze of smoke and dust, he was met with a piercing blue, a colour that he vaguely remembered from a dream, or a memory, he wasn't quite sure which. He wasn't even sure if he was awake right now.

 _'What...?'_

He looked around, but there was no one in sight for miles, the car was long gone and he was sitting alone on the side of the road. Shaking his head once, he struggled to his feet, stumbling a few times before standing properly. His eyes caught something in the dirt near his foot, it shone in the morning light.

Dean bent down, picking up the large object and holding it to the light. His fingers brushed over the soft material, removing some of the dust.

It was a single, black feather.

 **AN - Hey everyone, I just want to say thank you so much for reading, I had so much fun writing this and I wanted to share it with the community. It was originally uploaded on Wattpad** yokokitsune **.**

 **I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did and again, thank you very much.**

 **-Yoko**


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